Valentine’s Day: a day of love, or a day of distraction? A longstanding tradition of celebration that has been held since ancient Roman times, evolving slowly into a celebration of the most romantic proportions. These days, commonplace sights on Valentine’s Day include lovey couples exchanging gifts in the hallways, with stars in their eyes and chocolate in their hands, or the beloved spouses of the secretaries in the office bringing them ornate bouquets, which sit prettily on their desks. The practice of exchanging gifts at school has been in place since we were students of the smallest caliber, buying valentines in bulk at dollar stores to give out to our classmates. So why, only this year, are the festivities being put off?

You may have seen posted around our school the “Valentine’s Day” announcement. These announcements state that, “Gaffney High School will not participate in Valentine’s Day Festivities,” and it goes on to say that the delivering of valentines during the school day is disruptive to the learning environment. What about the other consistent distractions that students and teachers alike endure? The constant field trips of athletes and extra curricular activities? The decorating and dolling of the hallways at Christmas time? The morning announcements tend to interrupt the first five-to-ten minutes of first period classes? So when is the line drawn between taking away the distractions, and taking away the traditions of our culture?